Record-a-thon Event Information

Here is the latest information on Record-a-thon events and how you can participate!

Record-a-thon Workshop Schedule

The Record-a-thon all-day workshop will be held Saturday July 30, 02011 at the Internet Archive in San Francisco. We encourage you to bring your family and friends that are native speakers of different languages and come for the whole day (9 am - 6 pm). We'll have morning, lunch and evening meals as well as fun activities throughout the day including an afternoon keynote presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, world-renowned anthropologist, filmmaker, and National Geographic Fellow. During the day, you will learn how to document human language and help preserve our global linguistic diversity - nearly 7,000 languages spoken throughout the globe!

Making and Uploading Recordings

Remote Participation

Can't come in person? Join us remotely with our Cover-it-Live Broadcast, where you can listen to the day's talks and presentations, upload your recordings to the Record-a-thon collection in the Internet Archive, and compete for prizes right along with in-person participants -- as well as some special prize categories just for remote participants.

What to bring to the Record-a-thon

Most importantly BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY who are native speakers of different languages! You are documenting their language(s) and will need them with you at the event to make your recordings. (We will be providing special instruction on how to go about making a linguistic recording so please make all of the recordings during the event itself, rather than beforehand).

The Record-a-thon is a great event for friends and families! Share a day together telling stories and learning about each other. Children can record parents and grandparents, sharing stories as well as family history and traditions. This event is also a great way for students to fulfill school community service requirements. We will be happy to sign a form for students to certify that they participated in this event.

Next, there are two ways you can record at the Record-a-thon - you can bring your own video-recording device, and you can also sign up to make a recording of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or a basic vocabularly list with the Mightyverse team of professional videographers.

1. Bring your own video recording device.

Many common mobile devices are now enabled with video cameras where you can make and share short videos with your friends. We suggest bringing one of these devices, which we have tested and will be ready for:

laptop computer with webcam

iPhone or Android mobile phone

Flip video camera

video-enabled snapshot camera like a Nikon, Canon, Panasonic or Sony

Other devices may work as well, but since we cannot anticipate or prepare for every possible device, the best way to prepare for a successful upload is to BRING EVERYTHING YOU NEED - your device, any batteries, memory, and cables needed to connect to a computer, and be sure to TEST YOUR EQUIPMENT before you come to the event!

We will have several computers set up as upload stations - these will have USB ports that you can use to connect to your device. We'll also be able to import from a variety of flash memory devices. Our volunteers will be on hand to help with uploading your recordings to the Archive. If you are competing for one of the event prizes, only uploaded recordings count! We will help as much as we can, but ultimately successful uploads are up to you!

2. Make a recording with Mightyverse.

Mightyverse's team of professional videographers will have five stations where you can make a recording reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or a short list of common vocabulary words. If you would like to make a Mightyverse recording, please sign up for a time slot at one of the recording stations HERE.

Awards and Prizes

The first 100 participants who arrive for the in-person event will receive a Record-a-thon commemorative Levenger Circa Notebook.

In addition, everyone participating in the Record-a-thon (including both the in-person and remote event) is eligible to compete for prizes. All drawings and awards will take place at the end of the day, and you must be present in person or online to claim your prize! Ties will be decided by drawing straws.

iPad 2

For each uploaded recording, both the speaker and recorder will be entered into a raffle to win an iPad 2.

Flip Cameras

We will award five Flip Ultra HD video cameras for the following categories. Only uploaded recordings count!

Participant who uploads recordings in the most number of languages

Participant who uploads recordings in the most number of languages - 1st runner-up

Participant who uploads recordings in the most number of languages - 2nd runner-up

Participant who is recorded speaking the most number of languages

Participant who is recorded speaking the most number of languages - 1st runner up

Note: if you are recording yourself, for the purposes of the awards we'll count these recordings as you being the "uploader"

Levenger.com Gift Certificates

At the reception, we will award ten Levenger.com gift certificates worth $25 each. Awards will be made for categories including youngest participant, oldest participant, and recorder/recordee pair with the greatest age difference between them. During the reception, we will also hold a trivia contest where a number of other prizes will be awarded.